Converting Clipart in Inkscape by Color

Converting Clipart for Cutting Tracing By Color in Inkscape

Once you find the image you want to work with, save the picture to your computer in a specified folder, then open Inkscape. Choose File/Open (Ctrl+O) and select your file and press enter. This will import the picture into the software. Click on the image so that it is selected.

Next, choose Path/Trace Bitmap (Shift+Alt+B). This will bring up a separate box with options. This is where you have to play and determine what will work best with the photo you are using. In most cases, using Brightness or Edge detection works. I think that these options work better with simple black/white type images. I tend to trace by color when I work with colored photos or when I want multiple layers (like the object and a shadow). For this example, I am going to choose Colors and remove the check from the Smooth box. I will hit Update and then press OK. Note: If when you press update, the image doesn’t appear in the box, you need to go back to the original image you imported and click on it, then try again.

You will have to hit the red X to make this box go away.

In most cases, your traced image will be stacked on top of your old image. You can click on the image and drag it to the side.

The traced image is cleaner in lines. Click on the original image and press delete.

I have moved my traced item back to the small square (you can work with it anywhere, I just like it in the square!). Click on the image to select it and then choose Path/Break Apart (Shift+Ctrl+K).

Once the image is broken apart, you will have layers of colors stacked on top of each other. Click on a layer and drag it apart. Separate them out so that you can see all the layers. Note: You can do Shift and the – key to zoom out and Shift and the + key to zoom in.

As you can see there are eight layers (one is blank/white). I choose the images I want to work with and then delete the rest at this point. I like two of the images on the bottom row, the one to the far left and the second one from the right. I will click on the other images and press delete to remove them.

As you can see in the above photo, there is some shadowing/image bits toward the bottom. You can click on each individual piece and press delete or move your other objects and then with your mouse, click and drag around the area to highlight all the little pieces (this is typically faster and more clean). Once they are selected, then press delete.

You should now have two images. Zoom in to view them closer (Shift and +).

You can see from the capture below that the image on the right has some jagged edges on the two lower petals. I want a shadow look, so I am going to go in and clean this image up.

To do that, click on the image and press the F2 button (this allows you to edit the paths by nodes). This will take some playing around – don’t worry you can always undo your moves by doing CTRL+Z).

With your mouse go into the image area and select the box closest to where you want to clean/correct. The box will turn red when you are working with it. You can drag the boxes, press delete to remove sections, skew them, etc.. I am going to take the node below (in the circle) and move it to cover the box to the left of it.

To check your work, click outside the area (or on the other image). If you are happy with the change move on to the next one…if you need to undo it to try again, just do the CTRL+Z and start over.

I am happy with the change above, so I am going to begin working on the lower petal on the bottom of the screen. Again, click on the image and press the F2 button to grab the nodes.

This time I am going to grab the node in the oval above and drag is just beyond the node to its right. This will correct the dent that was there.

Click to the side of the image to view your changes as you did above.

This is what my images ended up looking like:

Next step is to save them. Choose File/Save As… and save the file. Note, mine comes up with the .jpg still on it so I manually remove it before saving.

Once you have the .svg file saved, you can open SCAL and import it in.

Once you have SCAL open, you can choose File/Import SVG (Ctrl+Shift+I).

The images come in really big sometimes and other times small. I haven’t figured out why/how to change it, but to work with it, simply check the Keep Proportions box in the Properties window and then you can use the Width/Height buttons to make it larger or smaller.